


National Grandparents Day

by CloakedSparrow



Series: Collected Bat-Family Stories [8]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Detective Comics (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood: Lost Days, Under the Red Hood
Genre: Adopted Children, Autumn, Bat Family, Domestic Fluff, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Grandparents Day, Holidays, No Romance, No Sex, No Smut, One Shot, TFFW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-06 00:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21217718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloakedSparrow/pseuds/CloakedSparrow
Summary: Jason hadn’t even known therewasa National Grandparents Day. He never had grandparents.But now hedid.One who was by far thecoolestperson Jason had ever met (and yes, that was counting Batman and Superman).Alfred was his grandfather.





	National Grandparents Day

**Author's Note:**

> I've been informed that National Grandparents Day is in September but I posted my Christmas story in what, March? Clearly, I'm not terribly concerned with making sure these line up with real-world dates. The next Halloween story probably isn't going to be up until next month and I wouldn't hold out for the Galentine's Day/Valentine's Day story to come out at the right time either, guys.  
Buy hey, next year you'll know where to find them if you want to read them on their appropriate holidays. ^_^

Jason felt kind of silly, but he’d already talked himself in and out of this about a dozen times already. Overthinking it clearly wasn’t going to help him. It was time to just _act_.

It started the week before, when he’d seen the cards on display in a store window he was passing. He’d been on his way to buy some new shoes after outgrowing the latest pair. He could do that now, without any thought or effort or concern. He hadn’t even needed to wait to the point where he needed to alter the shoes to fit comfortably first. At the first sign that they were growing snug, Bruce had said it was time to get new ones. Alfred had asked if he’d like to go pick a pair out himself or if he wanted him to get them for him.

When Jason said he’d pick them up himself, Bruce had simply handed him a few hundred dollars and asked if that was enough. Alfred smiled at him and commented on what a strapping young man he was becoming. Bruce had even worn a small grin as he added that soon they’d be wearing the same size. It was still all so different from the life Jason knew. His rapid growth and ever larger frame weren’t an issue here, because the extra money it cost to keep up with his growth was a total non-issue. 

His mind had been so caught up on that new and surprisingly calming fact that he’d almost walked right past the display window of the other store without taking it in. But then a sign above the cards (right about eye level for him now) grabbed his attention. 

_Show your grandparents how special they are on National Grandparents Day!_

Jason hadn’t even known there _was_ a National Grandparents Day. He never had grandparents. 

Well, he did. He _had_ to. His parents were _someone’s_ crotch fruit but Jason didn’t know anything about the people who had spawned his family. He’d never met them. He never cared about them. He’d never truly thought about them before.

But now he _did_ have a grandparent. Someone who cared for him and educated him. Someone who shared both wit and wisdom. Someone who told the best stories and shared a conspiratorial look behind Bruce’s back. Someone who listened to Jason and believed in him. Someone who was happy to witness every growth spurt and lesson learned. 

Someone who was by far the _coolest_ person Jason had ever met (and yes, that was counting Batman and Superman). 

Alfred was his grandfather. 

Jason dipped into the store and bought one of the cards without thinking. 

From there, he’d gone from happy and excited to awed and panicked and back a dozen times.

He never called Alfred ‘grandfather’ or ‘grandpa’. He’d called him ‘gramps’ once after he first moved into the Manor and the looks he’d received had caused him to never address the regal man so colloquially again. He now realized that likely had nothing to do with the relation to the term ‘grandfather’ and everything to do with not showing the incredible man the respect he deserved. Still, he wasn’t sure where he was meant to draw the line. Bruce never called Alfred ‘dad’ either. It might be something Bruce was sensitive about and Alfred was always so protective of his adopted son.

Jason decided the best thing to do was to leave Bruce out of it. He kept the card hidden in his bedroom desk until the night before the observance day. When he took it out, he kept his note short and sweet. Just a simple expression of gratitude for everything Alfred did for him. He wasn’t Dick Grayson; he wasn’t going to get mushy or sign it with x’s and o’s. He wasn’t going to force potentially awkward hugs on the man. 

But he didn’t want to just hand the card to Alfred and walk away either. That seemed disrespectful and Alfred deserved respect. He deserved _adoration_. He was utterly _amazing_.

Thinking about it long and hard (and talking himself out of even giving Alfred the card and then back into it a few more times), Jason decided he would take a page from Alfred’s playbook. He would express his love through food. He’d get up early on Grandparents Day, sneak into the kitchen, and make the man breakfast. Alfred always got up earlier than Bruce, so it would make it easy to leave Mr Emotionally Constipated out of it. That way, Jason could express his love to Alfred without making the man endure any awkwardness from his adopted son when he didn’t know how to deal with an emotion.

That left the decision of what to make. Jason was just learning to cook (from Alfred, of course). He was told he showed a good deal of promise but he knew he wasn’t very good yet. Nothing he’d made was inedible or even bad. It all tasted good, but it had a tendency to look like dog food, or worse, vomit. Jason wanted something that would speak to Alfred’s tastes but be easy to made look decent (_decent_ not _good_, he wasn’t expecting a Grandparents Day miracle here).

Finally, he had it. Something that was a combination of himself and Alfred. Something that would taste familiar to the man but not look like someone barfed up their breakfast on his plate. _Full English Breakfast Burritos_. They would have all the flavors and textures Alfred liked in a full fry-up but be hidden inside soft tortilla blankets so they wouldn’t look unappealing. 

Decision made, Jason decided this was one of those times he needed to just do it and not think about it. 

He wanted to cook the tinned beans a little longer so they wouldn’t be too wet, which resulted in them looking like some odd vegetarian beans/refried beans hybrid. He used the chorizo sausages he’d learned to make a couple days before in place of the usual sausage so it was more red than usual, but had more flavor. The kidneys tasted like Alfred’s but looked like the remains of a massacre. The mushrooms, potatoes, and tomatoes looked fine. Not great, like Alfred’s, but there was nothing aesthetically wrong with them either. Fortunately, the tortillas came out looking beautiful. 

All-in-all, the whole thing wasn’t too bad, but Jason was glad he was going to be hiding the mess of foods in his homemade tortillas.

Jason made the odd, international breakfast burritos. He placed them on a tray with the card and a teapot filled with Alfred’s favorite brew. Then he took the whole thing to Alfred’s room, where he quietly sneaked inside, placed it on the writing desk, and then slipped out as silently as a ghost. He continued to move as quietly as possible until he made it about halfway down the hall. Then, he ran out of the Manor in a rush of nervous energy. He slipped back into the kitchen, grabbed the extra burritos he’d made for himself and his jacket, and headed back out to rake leaves until it was time to start his daily lessons. 

He didn’t want to wait idly for any response. He didn’t know what kind of response to expect, if any. Grandparents Day was knew to him. Having a grandparent was new to him. Hell, having a halfway functioning family was new to him. He figured he could expect a little leeway while he figured out how he was meant to function within it. 

He discovered that making the eggs poached because they were Alfred’s favorite was probably a bad idea. He moved quickly enough to only get the drippy yokes on his chin and the leaves he was raking. He was pretty sure that was okay for Alfred’s compost, so he decided to just rake some more leaves over the telltale stain and ignore it. He used one of the handkerchiefs Alfred had given him to wipe off his face. He hoped Alfred’s hadn’t made a mess. 

It wasn’t too long before he heard the gentle crunch of leaves under Alfred’s shoes. He knew the man was giving him a moment’s warning before his arrival, in case he was dealing with anything the holiday had brought up from his previous family. Alfred was good about that sort of thing. And he could sneak up on Batman if he wanted to. Jason appreciated the effort, but he wasn’t feeling bad or angry. He was just a little nervous about a situation that he didn’t know what to expect from. 

It wasn’t like he wouldn’t deal with whatever came from it. He just wanted to know exactly what he was dealing with already. He wanted to get on with it. 

“There you are. Getting a head start on the Autumn chores, I see.” Alfred spoke when he close enough not to have to shout. He smiled warmly and walked right up to Jason, patting him on the shoulder as soon as he was close enough. “Thank you, Jason.” 

It was clear he wasn’t talking about the leaves anymore.

Jason felt relived immediately. He returned the smile. “’Course. We’re family now, right?” He tried to pitch his voice as if he too, might have just been talking about sharing the workload. 

It was clear by the gentleness in his expression that Alfred saw the relief and the forced-casualness. “That we are, my dear boy.” He gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. “Never forget it.”

They shared a brief, comfortable silence before Alfred’s mother hen nature reared its head. “Did you make any of that delightful breakfast for yourself?” He fixed him with a pointed look. “A growing boy needs to fuel his body before working so hard.”

Jason laughed quietly. He never needed reminding to eat. It was something Alfred seemed to find surprising and comforting at the same time. “Yeah, Alfie. I ate.”

“Well done, you.” Alfred offered a pleased nod. Then he gestured at the leaf-strewn ground. “Why don’t we finish up the walk together and then get started with today’s lessons? I was was thinking we’d start with English Literature today. I know you’re looking forward to jumping back into the Great Bard.”

Jason was. He hadn’t expected to be the kind of guy who enjoyed Shakespeare or Wilde, but then, there was a lot he hadn’t expected that was now a part of his life. He hadn’t realized that accepting Bruce’s offer to adopt and train him was going to entail so much more than being Robin. From Shakespeare and having a grandfather to tell him stories, he found he really liked it all. 

Speaking of his grandfather’s wonderful stories, Alfred asked a question as he raked. “Have I told you about the time I was in a production of King Leer in London?” 

“No.” Jason smiled and continued raking as well. “When was this?” He knew that was all the prompting Alfred needed, and sure enough, the man began beguiling him with a new story from his theater days. Jason loved hearing those. He loved all of Alfred’s stories. 

He loved having a grandfather.


End file.
